


Valley of the Forgotten Lords

by Dangerously_Demonic



Series: The Legacy of Darth Letum [5]
Category: Alien Series, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, KENOBI YES, Kenobi no
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 06:52:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11823477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dangerously_Demonic/pseuds/Dangerously_Demonic
Summary: Since he has someone hanging around who was around at the height of the Sith Empire, Kenobi has taken to talking Clayton into going to various Sith hot spots. This includes the Sith home world of Korriban, against Clayton's better judgement (set between ep. II and ep. III)





	1. The Pursuit of Forbidden Knowledge

**Author's Note:**

> This is essentially a bit of lore writing for a role play I have. Clayton is a hybrid of sorts. He was originally a Republic soldier who stumbled into a Xenomorph nest and was "infected". I've pretty much written that Xenos were an early project by Karness Muur before he went on to create the Rakghouls. So, basically: elbows up/waist up = human, elbows down/waist down = whole lotta NOPE.
> 
> In addition, he's originally designed for The Old Republic era, but my friend wanted Kenobi stuff...So he got thrown into stasis for 3600 years and with some force hand waving, there he is.
> 
> Set after "Ghosts of the Past"

Normally, Clayton ate at home since he preferred the quiet of his apartment. However, Kenobi had convinced him to eat at some rooftop cafe and thanks to the Jedi’s pull, they were given a fairly secluded area to eat. Generally, this meant that he wanted to talk or ask questions. Clayton usually found the questions bothersome, but he wasn’t going to turn down free food. The first bit of the meal was the usual shallow pleasantries. Discussion about the war, recent events in the news, and the occasional scandal at the Jedi Temple.

“I have a question about the Sith...How were they trained? You’ve seen the Jedi Temple along with how the Padawans are taught, and I imagine that there were a great number of differences.” Kenobi finally asked, pushing his plate to the side for the service droid to pick up.

This really wasn’t the line of questioning that Clayton had expected and he picked over what he wanted to say while he stirred his food a bit. It really wouldn’t hurt to talk about it all since the sith empire was long since dead. ”There’s parallels between the sith and jedi. Acolytes were synonymous with younglings, apprentices with padawans, and darths with knights and masters….But there’s a massive difference in how they were trained and picked.”

Straightening up a bit, he tapped a button on the table to indicate to the droid for a refill of his drink. “Acolytes weren’t always willing. Some were slaves, others were force sensitives from civilians. Something that most had in common was that very few survived the trials. A handful of Acolytes were assigned to an Overseer who’d determine their worth in the empire. In many cases, the Overseer would kill Acolytes who were deemed to be weak.”

A look of disgust formed on Kenobi’s face, “That’s barbaric! It’s no wonder the Sith Empire fell apart if most of their trainees were being killed.” Then he hesitated, as if wondering if Clayton would take offense to what he had said.

“Agreed. A good part of the Empire’s problem was not only killing their new recruits but also the infighting. Anyway, if it wasn’t the Overseer that killed them, it was the other Acolytes or the traps in the tombs.” He glanced at the droid who had brought his drink and switched the two cups.

“Tombs?”

“The Sith Academy was situated on Korriban, which was home to the Valley of the Dark Lords...Which was essentially a bunch of tombs. So, part of an Acolytes’ training was to fetch some relic from the tombs while dodging the various traps within and the other Acolytes who wanted to gain favor. Eventually, they’d get picked up by some sith lord as an apprentice. Although, it wasn’t unheard of for an Overseer to simply kill the entire group.” Lightly, he shrugged and shifted his attention to his food.

Kenobi was quiet for a few moments, allowing the other to eat while he mulled over this information. “Korriban, you said? Could you take me there?”

At this particular question, Clayton paused eating and looked up. “I could. I doubt there’s much left of it. I would be very hesitant to take you to any of the tombs.” He had already sensed that particular thought bouncing around the Jedi’s mind. “Too many angry, dead sith lords.”

This is when Kenobi got an expression on his face which Clayton had long since called the ‘Determined Jedi’ look. “You said yourself that many of the Force ghosts you’d contact are no longer around, having clearly moved on. How are you sure that the ones on Korriban haven’t?”

Clayton dropped his fork with a clatter and gave the other man a bit of a glare, “Because they’d been around for millennia in  _ my _ time. What makes you think they suddenly decided to give up the ghost and join the force?”

The sith lord’s glare was met by an impassive jedi stare, “It’s been 3600 years, Clayton. I would be shocked if any force ghosts were still around.”

Clayton snorted loudly, “You underestimate the power of hate and vitriol that these sith lords had. Barring that, the Valley of the Dark Lords is rife with the dark side. Hell, the entire planet is that way. Likely due to all the dead assholes they buried there...If not that, the sith alchemy and magics.” He stared at Kenobi for a few moments longer before groaning loudly, “Damn it all. You’ve already made up your mind. Fuck it. Fine. Someone has to make sure you don’t get yourself ganked by a pissy force ghost.”

“Excellent! We’ll leave in the morning.”

Groaning, Clayton rubbed his face “Why are you Jedi all the same? You’re happy go lucky canines that will eagerly walk into danger if it means you’ll get your favorite fucking bone.” Some things had changed with the Jedi, but apparently not everything. Finally he sighed and stood up. Since they were going to be going to a desert planet, he needed supplies to wrap his feet.

“Time to go home?” Kenobi asked before taking a final sip of his drink and standing. However, at Clayton’s head shake, he tilted his head slightly curiously.

“I need to go pick up a few things...Alone.”

“You know I can’t let you do that, the Coun--”

“To hell with the Council. You know damn well that I’m not going to run off.” In the back of his mind, he dimly recalled saying something similar several years ago to another Jedi…

“And you know I can’t allow that. I’m not going to go behind the Council’s back.” Kenobi stated, passively. This resulted in a loud snort from Clayton.

“And going to Korriban, the birthplace of the Sith, isn’t going behind their backs?”

This particular statement prompted a sigh from Kenobi, “Knowing more about the sith and how they act will better prepare me to fight whoever is behind the recent sith lords.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Kenobi. However, you’re not coming with me.” Before the Jedi could react, Clayton drew the force around himself and rendered himself invisible. He lingered for a moment to relish in the other mans’ surprised expression before he turned and left. With all the activity of the cafe, he was able to slip off the balcony and into an elevator. It hadn’t been a complete masking, just enough to prevent the Jedi from seeing and hearing him.

Soon, he had managed to get far enough away that he felt safe in dropping the force cloak. He couldn’t very well do any shopping while invisible. With that in mind, he worked quickly to procure the needed supplies, knowing that Kenobi could possibly be waiting for him to return to the apartment. While he didn’t exactly dislike the Jedi, it was still nice to have some alone time that wasn’t in the apartment.

With that in mind, Clayton didn’t rush in buying what he needed nor in his trip back to the apartment. Still, as he got closer to where he was staying, he cloaked himself once more in order to slip past the two Jedi who stood guard in the hallway. From there, it was a simple matter of causing a noise further down the hallway to distract them while he slipped into the apartment.

Much to his surprise, there was a distinct lack of Kenobi. This meant that either the Jedi was out looking for him, or he was going to get an early wake up call in the morning. Although, considering he had wanted to leave ‘in the morning’, that was likely to happen regardless. Sighing, he tossed the small bag of goods into a chair and made his way into the bedroom to sleep.

The next morning and in Claytons’ mind, far too early, he was woken by Kenobi knocking on his door. Grumbling to himself, he rolled out of his hammock and limped to the door. “It’s too damn early and you know it.” He was only met by the other gesturing for him to allow the Jedi in. Rolling his eyes, he turned and started back for the bedroom, still limping a bit.

“You’re limping, did you get injured last night?” Kenobi asked with clear concern and moved to follow after the sith lord after shutting the door.

“My fucking foot is asleep, that’s why. When are you wanting to leave?” Was the irritable and blatant lie. In reality, it was an older injury that was still healing and while it didn’t bother him most of the time, it tended to be a bit stiff and painful in the morning. While Clayton was capable of using the Force to do minor healings, the injury was was bit beyond his scope which was hilarious considering his overall skill with the Force. Certainly, he could probably have one of the many Jedi healers tend to it, but he didn’t trust them in the least bit.

“I would like to leave as soon as possible.”

“Can I fucking eat breakfast first?” Clayton grumpily asked from the bedroom as he pulled on a fresh shirt.

“You may eat on the ship.”

“No, I’m going to grab a fruit and eat it on the way over and spit the goddamned seeds at you.” He replied while pulling on his robes. Honestly, if it wouldn’t bring down the wrath of the Jedi Order, he’d probably just shank the guy with his tail. Grumbling under his breath, he finished grabbing his things and stalked to the kitchen to grab a few pieces of fruit as he had stated. With food in hand, he snagged the bag off the sofa and wandered past Kenobi to the door.

“What’s in the bag?” Kenobi glanced at it as he stepped out of the apartment after Clayton.

“For me to know and for you to find out later.” Was the garbled reply, given that Clayton had already started eating.

“Your manners are abhorrent, sometimes.”

“Like I give a fuck.”


	2. Korriban

The trip to Korriban was remarkably uneventful and mostly involved Clayton staying in his cabin. While their trip to Dromund Kaas hadn’t been all that pleasant, he had a great deal fewer concerns about Korriban. He simply didn’t have the same emotional attachment, and actually hated the planet. The few times he’d actually bothered with the planet was when he had been looking for a potential Apprentice. Given that the Overseer had killed the Acolyte he had been eyeballing, he didn’t pick one up.

Once the ship had been landed, he fetched the wraps for his feet and sat down to begin the tedious work of getting everything wrapped properly. Honestly, he didn’t think that he’d be going off the beaten trails, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to wrap up to mid-calf.

“Why are you wrapping your feet?”

“Because blistering hot sand doesn’t feel too great? Also to minimize how much sand gets into the cracks of my exoskeleton...Because you know. If I actually had a pair of human legs I wouldn’t have this problem. Also I’d be able to wear pants without cutting a hole in the ass.” Truthfully, Clayton was being a bit more snarky than needed, but he honestly hated desert planets. At least he wasn’t close to shedding, else he’d be throwing a massive shit fit over the entire deal.

Once he was satisfied, they left the ship and Clayton squinted his eyes against the bright sun being reflected by the sands. Time hadn’t been kind to Korriban. Many of the statues had collapsed with others been worn away by the constant wind swirled sands. The front of the Sith Academy had collapsed, rendering entrance via that route impossible.

“There’s a few back entrances dotted around the place, notably where they’d drop of fresh Acolytes, but I can’t promise that those entrances aren’t collapsed as well. It’s hard to say, but it looks like this place was attacked.”  The place was vastly different than what he remembered, but this didn’t surprise him.

“You said that sometimes you can see the past of a place, correct? Perhaps you could do the same here?”

“I could try, I suppose.” Clayton shot Kenobi a bit of frown, since he didn’t really like the idea, before moving into the shade of some rubble. Despite the shade, he could still feel the heat radiating from the stone beneath his feet. Even though the breeze that tugged at his robes was light and offered a slight respite from the broiling heat, it still carried the whispers of an angry howl. “I’d really prefer to leave dead planets as such...”

Sighing, he closed his eyes to deaden the brightness of the world around him. The force was always strong on Korriban, but it was seeped with darkness and rage from eons of dark side usage. Rapidly, images flickered through his mind. They were jumbled and incomplete, but enough for him to put together the story, mostly. “Ion cannon fire from the sky, ships burn and acolytes scream. Jedi fight Sith. The end of the Empire begins.”

Somewhat curious, he tried to pull up more ‘memories’, but the sudden shrieking howl of a twisted force ghost launching itself at him had him yelping and stumbling backwards. Opening his eyes wide, he stared at the sandy landscape in front of him, ignoring how the brightness made his eyes water. The howl of the force ghost still rang in his ears and slowly died on the wind.

Kenobi gently touching his arm caused him to jump again. Sighing at the Jedi’s concerned look, Clayton rubbed the side of his face. “We need to be careful. There’s still Sith force ghosts hanging around, and I doubt they like it that you’re here. One tried to attack me while I was attempting to find out what happened here. Anyway, we can try to find a way into the Academy.”

“What’s over that way?” Kenobi pointed towards the entrance of a valley with massive statues at the opening. Several of the statues were damaged, but the intact ones were of robed but masculine figures standing with their heads bowed in submission.

“The Valley of the Dark Lords.”

Without saying another word, Kenobi started of in that direction, apparently expecting Clayton to follow. However, the sith lord immediately knew this was a very, very bad idea. Grabbing the other man’s arm, he stopped him before he could go too much further. “Kenobi, no. I can’t stress enough that going there is a bad idea, for both of us, but you especially.”

“What, is the Sith Lord scared of some force ghosts?” The Jedi asked, referencing the jab Clayton had made on Dromund Kaas.

“You don’t understand. Force ghosts can’t usually be reasoned with, sith force ghosts especially. They still wield the power they had in life, but are twice as insane because they know they  _ can’t die _ .” He honestly didn’t know if the other man had dealt with Jedi force ghosts, but he suspected that any Jedi force ghosts would be calm, sedate, and more interested in passing on knowledge than trying to eviscerate someone.

Instead of his warning being taken seriously, he was given a cheerful smile. “We’ll be fine. I think you just saw a force echo.” Gently tugging his arm out of Clayton’s grasp, Kenobi continued onwards.

It was very clear to Clayton that the other man didn’t know what he was getting into. From his understanding, Jedi force ghosts weren’t all that common due to how Jedi tended to be at peace when they died and accepted their death. Sith were usually angry rage machines who still wanted to keep a hold of their powers. “For your sake, I hope you’re right.” He finally replied as he started after Kenobi. However, deep down, he knew that the Jedi was very, very wrong.

The entire planet, despite seemingly dead still had an air of its oppressive former rulers. As it swirled around them from the breeze, the sand silently threatened to strip flesh from bone. Above them, the sun promised to finish what the wind and sand started by bleaching their bones till they were as lifeless as the sands around them.

All of this changed when they finally stepped through the threshold of the valley. The air held a different presence, one of darkness and power. Voices whispered softly in his ear, seductively, beckoning him closer, to slay the ancient enemy, of power and strength. Sighing, he shook his head and look to Kenobi who had a somewhat concerned expression.

“I take it that you hear them?”

“Yes, they wish for my death. Who are they?” Kenbi asked while he wrapped his robes tighter around himself, as if they would protect him from the darkness the valley held.

“Force ghosts, I think, but I’m not sure. They’ve been here ever since I was an Apprentice. Maybe it’s the force itself and it’s been corrupted and twisted here. I know that they can drive men insane. Used to be punishment for the most grievous of traitors to be sent into the Valley. If the ghosts didn’t kill them, they’d kill each other. Whoever was left was usually executed because their mind had been broken.”

“And you said they sent Acolytes  _ here _ ?” Kenobi looked at him, eyes wide with horror at the notion.

“Of course. If they couldn’t handle the force ghosts, then how were they going to handle war?” He moved past Kenobi towards one of the many tombs, “..Stay close to me.”

“That’s barbaric, truly, barbaric.”

“I’m pretty sure we’ve already established that. Look, I know it’d tickle your Jedi jollies to explore every one of these tombs, but I’m going to just let you have one. Then we leave, because we’re already pushing our luck.” Clayton pointed at the tomb he was heading for. “There’s no ghost there, just the likely remains of a lot of acolytes. I’m not going to rule out a ghost from one of the other tombs popping up, but it’ll give you a decent idea of what the others look like.”

Around them, sounds were muted as if the life was being choked away. Even falling rubble sounded distant and lifeless. The valley itself seemed to loathe the notion of life and wanted to drain it all away. This sensation didn’t decrease as they entered the tomb, but a new feeling bubbled up. One of hate and malice.

“...That’s different…” Clayton murmured, his hand drifting down to his saberstaff. It wouldn’t do much good against a force ghost unless it chose to lash out with something tangible. This tomb was supposed to be empty, but he was suspecting that the presence of a light side user had lured something out. He just didn’t know what it was and if it’d attack or not.

As he led Kenobi deeper into the tomb, the presence followed after them, but seemed to be keeping its distance for the time being. However, he wasn’t sure how long that’d last. He was certain that they’d be lucky if they managed to get out of the tomb without some sort of conflict.

When they finally reached the room which held an ornate looking stone sarcophagus, he sighed softly. They’d managed to make it to the halfway point. He figured that he’d let Kenobi poke around for a few moments and then usher the Jedi back toward the ship. Unfortunately, lingering in one spot was enough to gain the full attention of the force ghost. It was quite hard to tell the sex of the entity, due to how twisted its face was from being ravaged by the dark side.

Before either of them could properly react to the being popping into existence, they were both suddenly and violently knocked backwards. Clayton winced at the pain that lanced up his arm, not a physical injury, he didn’t hear the stone hissing. Slowly, he climbed up to his feet and cursed as the ghost drifted towards Kenobi. Immediately, he stepped between the ghost and the Jedi, knowing full well at the danger he was putting himself in. “Enough.”

Sith ghosts were finicky things. They were as likely to help as they were to try and possess someone. Of course, some sith lords had managed to bind ghosts to themselves to boost their power. Darth Nox had been notable for doing this, and that had been instrumental in the Sith Lords’ rise to the Dark Council. Not a technique Clayton had ever bothered to learn due to the implications. In hindsight, he did regret having not learned more on how to deal with ghosts in the sense of banishing them.

Unhappy with his intrusion, the face of the spirit twisted up into a horrific snarl. Already, Clayton was bracing himself and drawing upon the potent force energies around him. As soon as the ghost launched a powerful force lightning attack, he was able to shove up a shield which dispersed the energies.

“Kenobi, you better fucking still be alive.”

A low groan and the sound of movement behind him was the only indication that he had that the Jedi was conscious. Meanwhile, the ghost was pressing its attack, causing him to already feel the strain of keeping the shield up. If Kenobi didn’t get back up on his feet soon, they were both going to be dead.

“I’m up, what--”

“Tactical retreat. Start back to the entrance, I’ll cover the rear.” It wasn’t as if he had much choice in the matter since he already had the shield up. The major issue was going to be keeping his footing while he walked backwards. The tomb, at least, had all of its various traps sprung so he didn’t need to worry about stepping into one.

The ghost suddenly launched a sudden, but strong attack, causing Clayton’s shield to falter and bringing him down to a knee. He swore he heard Kenobi yelling his name, but he was more interested in the fact that the ghost was choking him. It wasn’t enough to fully choke him, nor was he fully off the ground, but it was enough to show that the spirit was serious.

It also meant that he had its full, undivided attention. The ghost drifted closer and seemed to examine him. Clayton swore he could catch a faint hint of rot and decay coming from it, but he met the gaze of the creature. Showing weakness would certainly mean death, but showing strength and defiance reduced certain death down to probable death.

“You have strength,” the ghost rasped, “Why do you squander your strengths escorting this enemy? You are not his slave. He should bow to you.” Kenobi drifted into view, clawing at his throat before being shoved up against a wall.

“He is an...Ally. Korriban is dead and forgotten, the Sith Empire lost to time, and Dromund Kaas consumed by jungle.”

The ghost seemed to consider this for a moment, but didn’t loosen its grip on either of them, “What of Ziost?”

“I don’t know. There are only a few Sith left.” Suddenly, Clayton was dropped to his feet. With a soft wheeze, he coughed a few times and then straightened up to focus on the ancient sith lord. The ghost seemed to be less volatile than most, so it was likely they could get out of this alive. At least the ghost seemed more interested in keeping Kenobi out of the way instead of outright killing him.

“Yet you associate with the ancient enemy and are not bolstering the strength of your fellow sith.” Slowly, it circled around him, examining him further. “Your tie to the force is strong, you could rule. You should rule.”

Already, Clayton was suspecting that he knew where this was going. Sighing, he shook his head. “The time isn’t right. The current sith are hidden well. I’m slowly seeking them out, but I need to see if they’re worthy. An empire is only as strong as those who make her up.”

After a final circle around him, the ghost came to a rest in front of Clayton. “And if they are weak, what will you do?”

“Kill them.” He had adopted the pose of a military leader: a perfectly straight posture, hands clasped behind his back, and a calm yet stern expression. The pose honestly caused his forearm to ache, but he was playing a role and he needed to look the part.

“Very good. Kill this Jedi who dares defile our sacred lands and I will grant you some of my power.”

And there is was. Likely, by ‘granting power’, the ghost intended to try and possess him or something similar. “As I stated, he is an ally. He holds power with the Jedi which enables me to have access to the resources I need. Killing him now would be foolish, especially before I locate the other sith lords.”

There was a soft hiss of anger from the ghost in front of him, “You dare deny my power?”

“I might be ambitious in my plans, but I’m not stupid. I’ve dealt with Sith force ghosts in the past, and the offer for power rarely goes well for the person accepting.”

The hiss turned into a snarl as the spirit shifted its attention to Kenobi who made a sudden choked noise, “Then I kill him, myself.”

“Kill him and you destroy any chance of me helping you. I suspect that you’re tired of sulking around as you are and wish for a vessel. Leave him be, and I might just bring you a little present which I find the other sith lords. Otherwise, I’ll let you rot here for the rest of eternity.”

With a growl, the ghost shifted its attention back to Clayton, “You are a fool!” After making a final angry sound, the entity suddenly vanished with a burst of energy that knocked the two living force users backwards. Kenobi had the benefit of already being up against a wall, but Clayton wasn’t so lucky. About the last thing he could remember was a vaguely disturbing sounding cracking noise before brief darkness.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in a vastly different area. No longer was he in the tomb on Korriban, but the med-bay of a ship. He stared at the wall with some confusion, wondering how this had happened. To top things off, his arm ached fairly badly. Groaning, he pushed himself up into a sitting position before moving off the bed and slowly making his way into the main part of the ship. The soft whine from the engines told him that the hyperdrive was engaged.

“Kenobi?”

There was a bit of noise from the bridge before Kenobi appeared. An immediate look of concern formed on the Jedi’s face, “You should be resting. You look half dead.”

“...I always look half dead when I wake up.” Slowly, he started for the small kitchen area, “...Some damn coffee would be nice.”

“You should rest, Clayton. Whatever the force ghost did knocked you out for a day and broke your arm. I wasn’t sure if you were going to wake up.”

“Oh. Huh. Well, that explains the used kolto pack.” It also likely explained why he felt so drained. “Arm still hurts, but it doesn’t feel broken anymore.”

Kenobi seemed to hesitate a moment, “About what you said to the ghost, about findi--”

“Trying to save our skins. I don’t know what era it was from, but it was old. I was trying to give it satisfactory answers so it didn’t kill us. Though, I do consider you a bit of an ally, even if you’re stupid at times.” Clayton picked up the finished cup of coffee and took a tentative sip to gauge the temperature of the liquid.

“I’m..Really sorry about this. I didn’t intend for you to get harmed and I truly thought that any force ghosts would be gone with how much time has passed. I should have listened to you when you warned me and I promise to do so in future explorations. I was over eager about seeing a world I’d never seen before. Part of the Jedi teachings state that…”

“There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. I know.” Clayton interrupted, a faint look of amusement on his face. “That’s one thing that hasn’t change: Jedi always flail around at the mere idea of ancient knowledge. I’m a bit used to it.”

“You’ve been around Jedi outside of a war setting?”

“I’ve been to Tython and the Jedi Temple there, as well as the ruins of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant after the Sacking. Plus my Master was a former Jedi turned sith. I also traveled with some Jedi for a while.” Turning to the small refrigeration unit, he pulled out some small packaged food items.

“Tell me about the Jedi you traveled with.” Kenobi had moved over to the bar of the kitchen area, a look of interest on his face. However, Clayton just shook his head and turned away as he began to walk to his quarters.

“Too many memories I’d rather not dredge up.”


End file.
